Charles h



(No Model.)

0. H. PALMER. Apparatus for Feeding Fuel.

No. 240,265. Patented April 19,1881.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

oHARLEs n. PALMER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO JOHN P. JoNEs, OFGOLD HILL, NEv., AND ABRAM M. LORYEA, OF sAN ERANcIsoo, oAL.

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING FUEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,265, dated April19, 1881.

Applicationfiled February 18,1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GHARLEs H. PALMER, acitizen of the United States, residing in New York city, in the countyand State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Apparatus for Feeding Air and Fuel to Furnaces, of which thefollowing is a specification.

I will describe the invention as applied to a locomotive. Some of thenovel features of the invention can be applied to other furnaces, aswill appear farther on.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a central vertical section, showing so much of the parts asis necessary to fully understand the invention. Fig. 2 is acorresponding section through a portion on a larger scale. Fig. 3 is aplan corresponding to Fig. 2. Fig. 3 shows another view of one of therollers and of the scrapers therefor. Fig. 4 represents a modification.It is a vertical section through the junction of two pipes.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

The front of the furnace A, which, in common with the other parts of thelocomotive, may be in other respects of any ordinary or suitable description,receivesahorizontal pipe, B, which is connected by a flexibleextension, G, to the junction of two pipes, D E, inclined at smallangles, one over the other. The pipe D connects with a fan-blower, D.The pipe E is connected to a device which serves both as a feeder tosupply fine fuel in measured and regular quantities, and also as a millto disintegrate any lumps therein. This device is composed of a casing,F, formed as shown, and a hopper, F, formed with flaring sides toreceive the fuel. Two rollers, G and H, of castiron or other suitablematerial, are mounted within the casing F, and supported in reliablebearings turned by gear-wheels G H, which are of unequal size, the wheelG being the largest, and thereby inducing an inequality in the time ofrevolutions of the rollers. Each roller is provided with teeth arrangedin rings g h, which alternate with each other-that is to say, the rings.or circular series of teeth 9 are firmly set equidistant from eachother on the roller G, with a space between each ring or series a verylittle greater than the thickness of the teeth. Theseries of teeth honthe other roller, H, are of similar size, and are arranged to alternatewith the several series g. 5 5

It follows that as the rollers .revolve at difi'erent rates of speed theteeth of one move faster than the other, being allowed to do so by thefact that they do not engage together, like the teeth of gear-wheels,and that they run inde- 6o pendently, side by side, of each other. Thespace allowed between is so small that the fine coal or other fuel isreduced to small grains in the passage. The revolution of these rolls,by

reason of the one being faster than the other,

effects the grinding, and by reason of their strong grasp on thematerial regulates the feeding. The teeth rise with their several spacespresented toward the casin g empty, but

while moving in the mass of fine fuel the sev- 7o of the several groovesbetween the series of teeth. They are so formed and placed that they digunder or plow out any fuel whichmay tend to remain accumulated in thebottom of the grooves. In the removal of the material from these groovesthey tend also to dislodge,

by their indirect action, any material which may have lodged in thespaces between the several teeth of each series.

The fuel may be supplied constantly, or

from time to time, by'depositing' it in the hop- 0 per F.

On the axis'of one of the rollers, G, is fixed a large worm-wheel, Gwhich receives a worm, J fixed on the shaft J, which is supported instationary bearings, and is compelled to turn 5 by a beveled-gear wheel,J, which engages with a beveled-gear wheel, K, on the shaft K. Thisshaft is turned by a rotary engine, L, which receives steam fromaboiler. (Not represented.) A large gear-wheel, K on this 1 shaft Kengages with a small gear-wheel, D, on the blower.

These 7 5 r or on a siding.

their connections to the blower D and its con nections insures auniformity of action at all speeds-that is to say, the air driven intothe furnace underagiven rate of revolution willbe supplied with a givenquantity of fuel proper for that quantity of air, and when, from anycause, the quantity of air is lessened or increased the supply of fuelwill be proportionately varied; and the fact that the gearing is drivenby an independent engine, L, enables me to feed air and fuel at anyrequired rate independently of the rate of motion of the main engine, asalso to feed air and fuel, if required, while the locomotive is standingat a station The furnace of the locomotive is provided with the ordinarydoor, grate, dampers, &c., which allows the burning of fuel upon thegrate by air received from below in the ordinary manner when desired. Ipropose in most cases to maintain a stratum of coarse fuel on the grate,and to receive some air upward through it. The stratum of fuel burningslowly in that position serves to receive and usefully burn all theparticles of fuel which are driven into the furnace through myapparatus, and which are sufficiently large and heavy to fall downbefore becoming entirely consumed.

The flexible pipe 0 may be maintained in a round, or approximatelyround, condition under all the bendings to which it is subjected, byequipping it with rings or spirals of elastic wire, as is commonlypracticed in suction-hose. It allows the'engine and tender to approachand recede from each other, and also to rise and sink relatively to eachother in passing over inequalities in the track, and to assume varioushorizontal angles in passing over curves and switches. The action of theapparatus may be continued under all these conditions.

My invention may be applied in a similar manner to the furnaces ofstationary steam-engines and to furnaces for other purposes, asmetallurgical furnaces.

Modifications may be made in many of the details.. I propose in somecases to put the mill and blower nearer the furnace, and to dispensewith the flexible connection 0. In such case the ends of the pipes D andE are preferably joined in the manner indicated in Fig. 4, the pipe Ebeing bent downward a little opposite the end of the pipe D. I esteem itimportant in such case that the bottom of the pipe D be extended asshown, so as to arrest anyparticle of fuel which chances to be projecteddownward from the pipe E with more than ordinary velocity, and to insurethat it be caught and blown forward by the force of the air issuing fromthe pipe D.

I claim as my invention- 1. In combination with a furnace,connecting-duct, and blower, a fuel feeding and pulverizing mill andflexible pipe-connection, arranged for joint operation, as and for thepurposes herein specified.

2. The flexible connection 0 between two sections of theconducting-passage, when the portion B is carried on the locomotive andthe other portions, D E, on the tender, in combination with the fan D,feedingand grinding mill G H, and furnace A, as and for the purposesspecified.

3. The feeder described, composed of the.

rollers G H, provided with teeth or projections g h, and inclosed withina casing, F, having a hopper, F, and clearers I, all combined andarranged as and for the purposes specified.

4. The mill and feeder described, having the rollers G H, provided withteeth g h, arranged as shown, so that they may work past each other, incombination with the casing F, hopper F, delivering-passage E, andgearing G H, so as to work the two rollers at different speeds, asherein specified.

In testimony whereof I havehereunto set my hand, atNew York city, this16th day of February, 1881, in the presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

CHARLES H. PALMER.

Witnesses:

W. OoLBoRNE BROOKES, H. A. J OHNSTONE.

